Rooftop Revelation
by BettyBackInTheDay
Summary: Hawkeye and Black Widow share a quiet moment on the rooftop of Stark Tower just hours after the Battle of New York.


A/N: There is no substance here. This turned out nothing like it was supposed to. On a good note, I guess, that means there's another story coming because that plot is still rattling around my head. Hopefully, this is an enjoyable fluffy read. All hail Marvel!

Rooftop Revelation

She stood in silence and stared straight ahead. Her arms were tightly crossed in front of her chest and she didn't make a move to restrain the red hair that the wind was whipping in all directions. The Black Widow had to force herself to take slow, steady breaths. It was the first time she'd been alone since huddling in the equipment room following her narrow escape from the enraged Other Guy.

She heard the crunching of glass as he stepped onto the rooftop. She didn't have to turn around to know who was approaching her. People assumed she had a sixth sense, eyes in the back of her head. It was nothing like that. In a situation like this, he would be the only person to dare to approach her. She continued to stare into the dark night from the roof of Stark Tower.

"Hey, Nat," came the quiet yet strong voice of Clint Barton. When he didn't get a response, he continued walking toward her.

He reached her still form and stood directly behind her. Normally they could be in each other's presence for hours without conversation. Tonight, however, after everything he'd been through the previous few days, all he wanted was to hear his partner's voice.

"Nat?" he asked and still received no reply.

He continued to stand behind her, invading her personal space, though not touching her. He looked over her head and through her waving hair at the flashing lights below. The city was under a state of emergency and the lights and sirens were so familiar now he barely noticed them.

He began to worry. Was she finally going into shock? Was she debating her trust in him? And then it happened. Without warning, she took a half step backwards. Her heels were suddenly in between his feet and she leaned back against his chest. He looked down at her, but her eyes were still staring straight ahead. Slowly, he raised his arms and wrapped them around her shoulders in a loose embrace.

She took a deep breath and finally spoke. "For the first time in recent memory… I was scared," she said simply.

Clint tightened his hold on her. "Well, aliens will do that to a person. Even a badass like you," was his attempt to lighten her mood.

"I can handle aliens," she spat out.

Silence lingered in the air for a short time. "It seems that Dr. Banner has discovered the key to controlling the Other Guy, so you shouldn't have to worry about that again," he offered.

"I'm not scared of the Hulk," she whispered.

He was treading in dangerous territory. Two strikes against him. One more wrong guess and he would lose her attention at best, lose her physical closeness at worst. He didn't want to risk either so he remained quiet hoping she would open up to him.

She let go with another heavy sigh. "I was scared of being alone."

That was not what he expected to hear. She was his partner and they were close, but in the end he would consider her, like himself, a loner. He rested his chin on the top of her head and squeezed her tight. He could feel the floodgate open.

"You asked me if I knew what it was like to be unmade. I spent the better part of my life overcoming that. Thanks to you. You taught me to appreciate my life, not wish it away. I never thanked you for that. I never told you a lot of things that you deserve to know. I was petrified that I would never have the chance to tell you any of it," her voice cracked on the last word. Clint felt a warm, wet droplet on his right forearm.

"Nat…," Clint began. She squirmed out of his embrace and turned to face him.

"Listen to me," she said forcefully. "After everything we've been through, I have to say this. I can no longer be afraid of your reaction. At this point, rejection would be a walk in the park. And if you feel the same way, then I don't want to waste another minute," she hastily, almost desperately, rattled off.

Clint stared into her wide, green eyes. "Tash, we've told each everything over the years. What have you been keeping from me?" he asked as he moved his hands to grip her upper arms. For a split second he allowed himself to hope that she was going to tell him that she had feelings for him. He knew, though, that he was not deserving of her love. And after the chaos and carnage he'd just been a part of, he wasn't sure he was deserving of her presence in his life at all.

He felt two strong hands on either side of his face. "Hey, Barton, where did you go? You totally zoned out on me," she said with a slight smirk. "Way to give a girl a complex as she's about to spill her heart out to you."

"Uh, sorry…" was all he could muster.

She shook her head and moved her hands to rest on his shoulders. "Up until Stark was a part of my life, you were the most frustrating and irritating man I knew. While you've been surpassed in that area, you are now and always will be the most caring and compassionate individual I've ever known. You not only spared my life, but you saved it. You saved me. I could never figure out why. But, now… now… I think the universe had a plan. You saved me so I could save you. Let me be by your side as you work through all this." She pulled him closer to her. "Promise me."

Clint was dreading the upcoming process. He knew he needed help and didn't want to drag her through the ugliness. But, he also knew he needed her to get through it. And the fact that she wanted to be there was more than dared hope. And of course, he couldn't deny her anything.

He whispered, "Promise."

She smiled a rare genuine smile. Clint didn't think he'd ever seen anything as beautiful. Before he realized what was happening, she raised her face to his as he bent his to hers. Their eyes slid closed while the past pain and future uncertainty momentarily faded away. Each was living in the moment and savoring the presence of the other.

As they pulled apart and reality settled back in, Natasha made no move to step out of Clint's embrace. He continued to hold her around her waist and inhaled deeply. In case things fell apart in the next five seconds, five months or five years, he would remember this moment forever.

"Well," she whispered, "for the second time in a day, the world didn't end."

Clint allowed himself a small smile and looked into her emerald eyes.

"What do you see?" she asked.

He couldn't answer. He thought he knew her so well, but what he thought he saw there was impossible. He stammered, "I… I don't know…"

Natasha put her right hand against the left side of his face and gently ran her fingers through his short hair. "Yes, you do."

He remained silent and just continued to stare at her.

With a heavy sigh, Natasha said firmly, "There's hope and support, of course. But…" and she took a deep breath, "what you're seeing the most of… is… love." She gave him a beaming smile. "We're going to do whatever it takes to get through this. And then we're going to go back to being the badass team SHIELD needs us to be. And we're going to do all that together."

Clint could barely find his voice, but he was able to whisper, "Together." He pulled her into a vice-like embrace and they kissed again as the wind blew strongly against them. They stood defiant and ready to face anything. Together.


End file.
